KEY POINTS:
The Government has thrown its support behind a "transformational" action plan by Manurewa leaders designed to make their communities safer.
The Counties Manukau town of 80,000 has some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country and was the scene of shocking murders in quick succession last month.
Yesterday, ministers of police, housing, social development and youth were there to listen to the councillors and community board members behind the action plan.
According to a delighted Manurewa ward councillor, Colleen Brown, the ministers gave their "full support", which means in part a "hefty cheque".
The plan had the potential to be transformational, she said.
The community leaders highlighted to the ministers issues which needed to be addressed, including: areas with high transient populations, a lack of community leaders, a lack of connection to place, the number of children out on the streets at night, insufficient positive male role-models, a decline of home ownership and rise in private rentals, and concentrations of Housing New Zealand homes in some neighbourhoods.
The leaders say there must be a strategic response at a neighbourhood level with wrap-around services, local buy-in and local accountability. Their action plan consists of the creation of a hub they call a community-safety centre, surrounded by various "spokes". The spokes would be school-based, community house-based and marae-based, with also a family or whanau centre.
A community trust would govern the hub and the spokes, and would be made up of representatives from Government agencies, the local marae, the community board and professionals in law and commerce.
Involved would be Maori wardens, community constables, advocates, Neighbourhood Watch, youth workers and others.
Soon after the meeting, Brown said it was the first time since her time on the council that Manurewa had received such support.
"Wow," she said. "We got the lot. Everything we asked for we got ... We got total buy-in with Ruth Dyson [the Minister for Social Development]. Everybody stood up and said this is the way to go.
"It's community driven; it's grass roots. I'm absolutely stoked."
The design of the hub and spokes would enable those involved to reach marginal communities and dig deep to find out the needs and address them.
"The hard work is just starting now, and we've got to be really careful about how we go about it, what we do, how we construct it."
The hub itself would be housed in a building in the main street where there is plenty of foot traffic, "a place, a name, people can see that something strong is being done".
Education is one of the areas which will receive attention.
Before the meeting Tom Vanderlaan, community board member and principal of Waiuku College, described a trifecta of education issues as a "deadly mixture" with long-term effects for the community
_ a lack of early childhood facilities, plus alienated students not catered for in the community and a lack of resources for transient and catch-up learners.
Alan Johnson, a community board member, says buy-in must also come from the local people.
"As a community we have to rebuild the neighbourliness and cohesion which exists in some areas but not in the more vulnerable parts of our ward."
